|
|
Buying Guides : Trekking Poles |
|
Using a pair of trekking poles is like four-legged travel. You’ll find they give you extra balance & confidence, especially on rough or steep terrain.
Trekking poles reduce stress on your joints – you will feel this immediate benefit on your knees and lower back, in particular when walking downhill. You will also find that walking will become easier as poles encourage a more upright posture, making breathing more efficient and the transfer of weight from the legs to the arms will give you a more well-balanced physical work out.
Why use a pair?
We recommend the use of a pair of poles, for the full stress relieving benefits, especially if carrying a load such as a child or backpack. For balance, one pole is better than none but single pole users must take care to alternate hands to avoid a lopsided posture. Experts have found that using a pair of poles massively reduces the weight of the body pounding on the lower limbs; for example, if you were out walking for 8 hours you would save approximately 250 tons of pressure on your legs over the length of that walk just by the use of a pair of trekking poles!!! You’re never too young to use trekking poles – as you can imagine, over the years the cumulative benefit will keep you walking pain and problem free for much longer
How to use your poles?
The poles work on a ‘twist-to-lock’ basis – clockwise to tighten and anti-clockwise to release. When adjusting the height of your poles, fix the bottom section to its longest setting and use the middle section to set the height you require. Use the wrist straps like a ski stick – slip your hand through them from underneath, then gently tighten onto the back of your hand; this will give you a very comfortable position that allows you to release the pole itself from a tight grip, thus being less tiring on the hand, and also it acts as an excellent support for your body weight.
What length should the poles be?
Flat ground: Forearm should be parallel to the ground.
Uphill: Poles need to be shorter, so you are not over-reaching.
Downhill: Lengthen the poles, so you can plant them without having to bend or stretch.
Traversing: Adjust the uphill pole to shorter and the downhill pole to longer for even balance.
How to walk?
It is quite simple - yet we all feel the need to practice at first; why not try it out on the stairs? Remember it’s a bit like marching, opposite arm to opposite leg, relax and you’ll soon forget you’re using them. In a very short time you will find that the poles become an integral part of your walking action and you’ll be lost without them! When you first get your poles one interesting test to see how effective they are is to see what they do to your stride length – measure out 100m then count the number of strides it takes for you to cover the distance, pick up you poles and do the same again. You will be surprised at the difference!
Care of your poles
After use in the rain you need to open the poles out and dry them, be aware in cold conditions they can get damp from condensation.
Do not apply any lubrication to the poles, regular cleaning should ensure smooth open and closure of the poles.
Some times a powdery residue may form on the threads of the ‘twist lock’ causing them to slip; this can be removed with a small brush.
If the pole twists without gripping then this is probably because you’ve unscrewed the pole too far; all you need to do is relocate the twist lock expander and pole by gently tapping together, then twisting. If after extended use you find that the threads in the twist lock have been damaged and you may need to buy a replacement expander.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
